LIFESTYLE

As secondary schools begin their annual bid for pupils, Anna Britten attempts to navigate the minefield.

If it’s August and you’ve got a 10-year-old, chances are you’ve got a few secondary school open days to, erm, look forward to. It’s an easy enough choice for the kids – most will just choose the one that contains the majority of their mates and the best canteen. But for parents, navigating the British education system has never been more confusing. We tackle a few headscratchers.

Aren’t Bristol secondary schools, like, famously terrible? Hey, catch up! Things are getting much better. Bristol schools are achieving their best ever results at GCSE – 46.2% of students achieved 5 GCSEs at grade A* to C including English and Maths in 2010, a rise of seven percentage points compared to the previous year, and the biggest annual rise in results over the last decade. Improved results are expected for 2011. Furthermore, all the city’s secondary schools have either been rebuilt or significantly refurbished in recent years.

What’s the difference between academies, specialist schools, trust schools etc?

Academies The Labour government introduced ‘sponsored’ academies to address poorly performing schools. But the coalition have extended the academies programme to allow any school to ‘convert’ to academy status. This means they’ll be funded directly by central government and can set their own term dates, curriculum and pay and conditions. They are responsible for their own school improvement, education welfare, meals and behaviour support. Eight of the 20 state-funded schools in Bristol are already sponsored academies – City Academy, The Merchant’s Academy, Oasis Brightstowe Academy, Oasis John Williams Academy, Bristol Brunel Academy, Bristol Metropolitan Academy, Bristol Cathedral Choir School and Colston’s Girls’ School. Secondary schools proposing to convert to academies in Sept/Oct are Bedminster Down School, Cotham School, St Bede’s Catholic College and Henbury School.

Community School Fully maintained by the local authority.

Voluntary Aided Responsibility for management shared between the local authority and either the Church of England or Catholic diocese.

Trust schools State-funded foundation schools which receive extra support (usually non-monetary) from a charitable trust made up of partners working together for the benefit of the school.

Federation Some Bristol schools have formed federations where a cluster of schools have a formal agreement to work together.

Do we have any of those newfangled ‘free school’ thingies? You do. Free schools are all-ability state-funded schools set up in response to what local people say they want and need for education in their community. The Bristol Free School was set up by a parents’ group to cater for the youngsters of north west Bristol and will be setting up on a temporary site on Burghill Road, Westbury-on-Trym this September, before relocating to Brecon Road next year. It’s the largest of the free schools to open in England next month. Ffi: www.bristolfreeschool.org.uk

So, what’s the best way to tackle this?

DO visit a range of schools, say Bristol City Council, if possible with your child.

DON’T leave it too late to start looking at schools and discussing with your child their desires, needs and interests.

DO use all three of your choices – it’s the best way to ensure that you get a school that you would prefer.

DON’T forget practicalities as part of the decision process – how will your child get to school and will before and after school care be needed?

DO read the allocation statements from last year – these will tell you how far away the furthest applicant lived to get into that particular school. These will change from year to year depending on numbers applying.

DON’T miss the deadline for applications – online or by post – is Mon 31 Oct.

I’m in a complete muddle! A comprehensive booklet listing all the schools and detailing the admissions process is available through your local primary school or online.

In addition, Bristol’s school admissions team are available to answer questions on 0117 903 7694 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it And if you need help with form-filling, you can contact the Family Information Service for advice on 0845 129 7217.

Copyright Anna Britten 2011